In the book, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis shares a childhood story about one of his favorite teachers, Mr. Kirkpatrick. A brilliant teacher and personal friend of Lewis’s father, Mr. Kirkpatrick was the one who taught Lewis how to be a merciless debater by building a strong logical case…one that would be hard, if not impossible, to defeat. A staunch atheist, Mr. Kirkpatrick wanted to strengthen Lewis in his own beliefs.
Yet years later through Christ’s grace and deep friendships with Christians, C.S. Lewis began questioning his atheism and within a few years, became a Christian himself. Because of his early training by Mr. Kirkpatrick, Lewis was an amazing debater and God used his former training for good as C.S. Lewis became one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith in the 20th century.
What man intended for harm… God intended for good. –Genesis 50:20
In some ways, I feel Paul is a little bit like C.S. Lewis before Lewis became a Christian. Both men were very well educated and trained at a young age to defend their “beliefs” and oppose the opposite side. Both men were all-stars in their worlds of academics with high expectations from those who trained them.
“I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”- Galatians 1:14
Paul was the Jew of all Jews. He was the elite. He had the education and the pedigree… and he knew it.
Because of the pride in his heart, Paul was blinded to the truth.
He was a man of religious deeds and was an amazing religious rule-keeper. So focused on being right and persecuting those he felt were wrong, Paul missed the big picture of what God was doing in the world…redeeming it through Jesus Christ.
And yet in Galatians 1:15 we see how God had set Paul apart from birth, preparing him all along the way for the exact purpose of being one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith of all time.
Nothing from Paul’s past was unused.
The pride that had driven him to be the best, the most worthy and the moralist, now was replaced with God’s grace. God in his amazing redemption used all of Paul’s past experiences, failures, and zealous pride to break him and then equip him to be the very man to build His church – the very church Paul once persecuted.
“The Old Testament knowledge, the zeal, the training, the effort he was using to oppose God and his church all were being used by God to break him and to equip him to be God’s instrument for building his church. God had been working all along to use Paul to establish the very faith he had opposed (v 23).” – Tim Keller
What a powerful reminder to all of us today: NO ONE is too broken for God’s redemptive grace!
If God can take a man like Paul – a man who was filled with pride, who hated Christians and even killed them – and turn his life around, how can we ever doubt He can’t do it again?
May we never forget we serve an amazing God who redeems the religiously prideful just as He does the lost. No one is too far out of reach for our Lord to touch with His amazing love and grace!
Let us take courage and find delight in the mighty way God worked through Paul’s life to redeem his past and bring hope for his future! Just as God extended redemption to Paul, He does for us, too. God takes our sins, our past misunderstandings, our previous training and brings purpose to it all.
May we not be afraid of our pasts and the sins we wish we could erase, but rather allow God to redeem them for His glory just like He did in Paul’s life!
Love God Greatly!
Week 4 Challenge:
This week, spend time praying every day for the “Saul” in your life, asking God to intervene in this person’s life and redeem their past for Jesus’ glory! And have hope sweet friend, God turned Saul into Paul and He can do it again!
Week 4 Video:
(Can’t see the video? Click here.)
Week 4 Memory Verse:
Week 4 Reading Plan:
I am so encouraged by today’s verses! Angela, you are so right! I have some people in my life that I love with all my heart, but I am beginning to wonder if there is any hope left. They are such good people, but they need God so desperately, and they know it, but they choose to keep their eyes on the ways of man, and not God. What a great and beautiful reminder that God can restore and redeem everyone! We must never lose hope, and we must pray continually!
Yes honey, we must never lose hope. God never gives up, neither should we. In His time, all things will be fixed. God bless you for dropping a comment.
Yes Rachelle! I like be the thought that he can use our sinful ways to set us on the right path if we just choose to listen and follow him! Prayers for your friends!
Mondee~LGG Encourager
Wow❤ I am encouraged by todays word ❤ It feels like He has said I love you with today’s message❤
Awwww…. We thank AK God for always remembering us. You are greatly loved honey.
This message is the true meaning of God’s grace for us! One year ago today I surrendered all to God, and I finally know what true Peace feels like! I’m an incest survivor, and for a very long time I was angry with God, I blamed Him for my pain and mistakes. I know today He was always with me even though I wanted nothing to do with Him. For years I basically walked through life drunk or high just trying to forget the pain. I was self destructive, and just wanted to give up. My son invited me to church on Easter last year, the moment I walked in the door I felt comfortable, the Pastor seemed to know everything that I needed to hear then he gave an invitation, I couldn’t get to the front fast enough it was as if something was pulling me. This woman came to pray over me, all I could do was cry… She just started praying and she said every single thought in my mind! From that day forward I surrendered all to God I gave up all vices, alchohol, drugs, and cigarettes that very day! Today my only addiction is God’s word and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I know now all my pain and suffering was to strengthen me and give me the courage to tell others what Christ can do for them. I’m going to be 50 this year, and I know seems like a late time for some to know God’s grace, but I’m living proof it’s never too late. I thought I was waiting on God to save me, but the truth was He was always there waiting on me. ?
Thank y’all for always keeping us focused on Jesus!
Praise God Yvonne for your incredible testamony. May God richly bless you and your family. May he use you for his glory. Big hugs xx
I am so truly blessed! It’s true what they say I’m nothing without Him and everything with Him ?
May God praise you and keep you. You can do all things through Christ!
Wow, what a wonderful blog post. Very encouraging to be reminded that “No one is too far out of reach for our Lord to touch with His amazing love and grace!” This makes me think of a few specific people and that I just need to keep praying for them, because it’s not too late! There is hope!
Praise God & Thanks for the Add-on!! ?? I am truly grateful to be on board with you all. I am so happy ? the Lord is in my life. I love God (My Abba) whole heartedly, with no equivocations. I often wonder how amazing he truly is…I just get excited when I start thinking about him. I am trying to get my life, & spirit more connected. I have a ways to go with my expressions, but I am a work in progress. Hallelujah & I just Love ❤️ What God has done for me & I appreciate my friend for asking me to participate in this blog. Life is great knowing others are in your corner, as we embark on our daily task as christians …I have grown up a huge amount since I was baptized again this past year…because my focus is just to glorify my God! I know I have to pray & just seek him more with my heart. Any ways thanks again. ???God Bless our world!
Thank you for this encouraging post. I have afamiky member who I love dearly who has turned away from the way I raised him, to love and serve God, I feel so encouraged today reading and listening to Angela’s video tonight. I pray, often desperately, for his eternal well being, knowing as much as I love him, God loves him more. Thank you for the hope from above, it reiterates what I believe God has been telling me too. He needs to learn his need for God and when he does God will use that as well as all the life lessons along the way for His calling.
Broken and redeemed
I may be late in commenting, but God knew I needed this study now. It is wonderful to know He meets us where we are and speaks to our hearts at the right time. Thank you for being in the right place at the right time.